Bob Shaw is baffled to see a man in a brown coat at the busy Underground station. The man in the brown coat looks like Bob’s best friend Gus Morley. Well, that cannot be possible ‘coz Gus died months ago! Except for a bandage on his nose and hair cut short, the man looks very similar to Gus.
Bob goes home and talks about this ‘sighting’ to his wife Anne. Anne pooh-poohs her husband’s claims but Bob knows he’s right. He finally manages to follow the guy again and ends up getting beaten badly. Gus’ wife refuses to believe Bob’s claims of her dead husband being alive. Did Gus fake his death? The mystery behind the ‘mysterious man in the brown coat’ takes Anne and Bob on a roller-coaster of an adventure!
The Lazarus Charter is different from all the spy thrillers I have read so far. There are no high-tech gadgets or stakeouts. But, there are black cars with tinted windows and some unruly Russians! And of course, the British Military Secret Service!
I wouldn’t call this a spy thriller per se. There is a lot of chasing and hiding and dirty secrets but the story didn’t give out any spy-ish vibes.
Bob’s curiosity wins the day. Or rather, the battle he has with the Russians and the SS. The poor chap is threatened and then imprisoned, and he finds a way out of it. A certain incident makes Anne believe Bob’s claims of Gus’ ‘rebirth’. She starts to investigate too and frankly, I felt Anne was a better investigator than Bob!
The plot is well planned and twists and turns are aplenty throughout the story. The element of suspense and tension was a tad low. I would have loved to see Bob in a better and smarter role.
The ending was abrupt and things that weren’t important were given the spotlight too. Nevertheless, The Lazarus Charter was an enjoyable read. Not your usual spy thriller but an entertaining read.
RATING
Writing Style: 3.5/5
Plot/Story: 3.5/5
Character Development: 3.5/5
Ending: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
BOOK DETAILS
Title: The Lazarus Charter
Author: Tony Bassett
Published on: 1st March 2020
Genre: Mystery and Thriller
Many thanks to Rachel for the blog tour invite.